Bulleen
A 42.3% overseas-born population, a median age of 45, and a 79.6% separate-house share give Bulleen an established, family-oriented profile with stronger cultural diversity and older residents than the national picture. Household income sits at the 65.5th percentile, while population growth is measured at just 0.24% annually.
Population
11,219
Median Age
45.0
Household IncomeiMedian weekly household income (ABS Census)
$1,814/wk
DAs (12 months)iDevelopment Applications lodged in the past year
62
Median House
$1.4M
October to December 2025
Bulleen is primarily a detached-house market, with 79.6% of dwellings separate houses and 42.5% containing 4 or more bedrooms. A typical mortgage payment of $2,400 per month and mortgage costs equal to 30.6% of household income mean borrowing capacity needs careful testing. Compared with apartment-oriented pockets of Doncaster, Bulleen provides more conventional family housing, but buyers should allow for renovation, land value and school-zone differences between streets.
For Buyers
Bulleen is primarily a detached-house market, with 79.6% of dwellings separate houses and 42.5% containing 4 or more bedrooms. A typical mortgage payment of $2,400 per month and mortgage costs equal to 30.6% of household income mean borrowing capacity needs careful testing. Compared with apartment-oriented pockets of Doncaster, Bulleen provides more conventional family housing, but buyers should allow for renovation, land value and school-zone differences between streets.
For Investors
Bulleen's rental profile is supported by a $459 weekly house rent, 20.3% of households renting and a 7.4% vacancy rate. Rents have grown 31.4%, which is stronger than a flat rental market, while overseas migration is identified as the primary growth driver. Development activity is also substantial, with 61 planning matters recorded over 12 months, although the available examples include subdivision and signage as well as other permits rather than a confirmed dwelling pipeline. Rental ownership remains below outright ownership at 49.3%, so investors should assess tenant demand, property condition and future competition rather than relying on rent growth alone.
Development Activity
Total DAs
88
Last 12 Months
62
YoY ChangeiYear-over-year change in DA lodgements
+463.6%
Avg DA CostiAverage estimated cost per DA in the past year
N/A
Monthly DA Lodgements
DA Categories
Schools in Bulleen
Open-register school locations for education access. This is not a school-quality ranking.
St Clement of Rome School
Marcellin College
Bulleen Heights School
Demographics
Bulleen has an older resident base, with a median age of 45, which is 5 years above the national figure. Its university-educated share is 51.3%, or 21.2 percentage points above national, and 42.3% of residents were born overseas, 20.7 points above national. Chinese, Italian and Greek ancestry each account for more than 2,200 residents, while Mandarin is spoken by 483 people and Greek by 478. Average household size is 2.6, only 0.1 above national, and 83.2% of residents stayed at the same address, indicating lower turnover than a highly mobile suburb. This supports steady demand from established families and older owner-occupiers.
Age Distribution
Bedrooms
Dwelling Structure
79.6%
Houses
12.0%
Townhouse
8.3%
Apartment
Tenure
Bulleen's housing is weighted towards ownership and larger dwellings. Outright ownership is 49.3%, higher than the 20.3% renting share, while 29.1% have a mortgage. Three-bedroom homes account for 47.0% of stock and 4 or more bedrooms for 42.5%, compared with only 8.3% apartments and 12.0% semi-detached dwellings. Compared with more apartment-oriented parts of Doncaster, Bulleen offers a stronger land-and-house format, which helps explain its high entry price.
Mortgage / mo
$2,400
Rent / wkiMedian weekly rent for new bonds (year ending Sep 2025), Homes Victoria bond data (year-ending median). Census 2021 median: $459.
$670
Bond data year ending Sep 2025 · houses $660 · units $595
HH Size
2.6
Personal Income / wk
$739
Vacancy Ratei% of dwellings unoccupied on Census night (ABS 2021)
7.4%
Unoccupied
341
Rent / IncomeiMedian rent as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
25.3%
Mortgage / IncomeiMedian mortgage as % of household income. Over 30% = housing stress
30.6% stressed
Community Profile
Languages Spoken at Home
Ancestry
Household Composition
45.7%
Couples with children
37.8%
Couples, no children
14.8%
Single parent
3,287
Total families
Economy & Employment
Bulleen's household income of $1,814 per week sits at the 65.5th percentile, above the midpoint, but mortgage costs still reach 30.6% of income. Employment is led by healthcare, with 664 workers or 17.1%, followed by professional and technical services at 493, education at 398, retail at 348 and construction at 321. Professionals number 1,584 and managers 884, supporting demand from white-collar households, while full-time employment is 59.0% and unemployment is 5.1%. SEIFA results are above the middle range, with IEO and IRSAD in decile 8 and IER and IRSD in decile 7. The lower economic-resource and disadvantage deciles compared with education and advantage suggest a generally comfortable area, but not uniformly affluent across all households.
Unemployment
5.1%
Labour Force
5,613
Unemployed
286
Source: ABS Census 2021
Socio-Economic Indexes (SEIFA)iABS index ranking suburbs from 1 (most disadvantaged) to 10 (most advantaged)
Full-time
59.0%
Part-time
34.6%
Participation
58.5%
Employed
5,327
Full-time and part-time are shares of the employed. Source: ABS Census 2021
Occupations
Top Industries
University
51.3%
Postgraduate
13.8%
Born Overseas
42.3%
Dwellings
4,249
Transport to Work
Bulleen is practical for households that drive, work from home or value established residential surroundings. Car-driver travel accounts for 56.4%, higher than public transport use at 3.3%, while 35.5% work from home and 1.3% walk or cycle to work. Three schools provide a local mix of Catholic primary and secondary education plus a government special school, so families should check enrolment zones and transport needs against the exact address. Recorded crime totals 479 offences, or 42.7 per 1,000 residents, with property and deception offences accounting for 324. SEIFA IRSAD is in decile 8 and IRSD in decile 7, indicating stronger advantage than the national midpoint, while street-level safety and access can still vary.
Drive
56.4%
Public Transport
3.3%
Walk / Cycle
1.3%
Work from Home
35.5%
Population Forecast
+0.24%/yr
(+28 people/yr)
EstablishedBulleen has an established growth profile, with an annual trend of 0.24% and population change across the wider area of 3.9% over ten years. Overseas migration is the primary driver, while the shift trajectory is classified as Mixed. Compared with fast-growth corridors, this is a measured expansion pattern shaped more by established housing turnover than by rapid population replacement. The main gentrification indicator records a score of 10 and a stage of Not gentrifying, although another shift measure records 21 and Early signs. Rents have increased 31.4%, and real incomes have grown 17.6%, which may support gradual reinvestment even as affordability moved from 68.5 in 2011 to 62.2 in 2021.
Historical + Forecast
Hamilton-Perry + Holt smoothing on ERP 2001-2025
Age Cohort Forecast
Primary Driver
Overseas Migration
Net Overseas / yr
+172
Net Internal / yr
-83
Gentrification Signal
Not gentrifying
COVID recovered (-2% dip → full recovery)
Safety & Crime
Total Offences
479
Year ending June 2024
Rate per 1,000 People
42.7
Offence Categories
Source: Crime Statistics Agency Victoria / SA Police
National Ranking iPercentile rank among ~15,000 AU suburbs. 90% = higher than 90% of suburbs
How Bulleen compares to ~15,000 Australian suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bulleen a good suburb to live in?
Bulleen suits households seeking established detached housing, with 79.6% of homes separate houses and a median age of 45. Its 35.5% work-from-home share supports a quieter routine, although 56.4% drive to work and public transport use is only 3.3%.
What schools are in Bulleen?
Bulleen has 3 listed schools covering Catholic primary and secondary education and a government special school. The mix includes St Clement of Rome School, Marcellin College and Bulleen Heights School, with enrolment zones needing address-level confirmation.
Is Bulleen safe?
Bulleen recorded 479 offences, equal to 42.7 crimes per 1,000 residents. Property and deception offences accounted for 324 incidents, compared with 106 crimes against the person, so household security and street-level conditions remain relevant when comparing properties.
Is Bulleen good for property investment?
Bulleen has a $459 weekly rent, 7.4% vacancy rate and 31.4% rent growth, with overseas migration supporting demand. However, 61 planning matters in 12 months may increase future competition, and the 20.3% rental share is below outright ownership at 49.3%.
How is Bulleen's population changing?
Bulleen has 11,219 residents today, with an annual growth trend of 0.24% and wider-area population change of 3.9% over 10 years. Overseas migration is the primary driver, while the median age of 45 and a 0.8% rise in senior share point to gradual ageing.
What languages are spoken in Bulleen?
Bulleen has a 42.3% overseas-born share, above the national figure by 20.7 percentage points. Mandarin is spoken by 483 residents, Greek by 478, Italian by 407, Cantonese by 308 and Arabic by 99.
What development is happening in Bulleen?
There were 61 planning matters recorded over 12 months. The examples include a two-lot subdivision, business signage and other planning permits, so the activity is broader than a confirmed pipeline of new dwellings and should be checked for property-specific effects.
How to read these comparisons
Phrases like "above the national average" reference the unweighted median across Australian suburbs with more than 1,000 residents, not population-weighted national figures. Suburb-level medians are more useful for ranking suburbs against each other; ABS census headlines are population-weighted (so dominated by Sydney and Melbourne) and can read very differently.
Current baseline (refreshed 2026-05-10): median age 40, university-educated 30.1%, born overseas 21.6%, average household size 2.5 people.
Data sources: ABS 2021 Census (demographics, income, tenure), Valuer-General Victoria (house prices), state education open registers (school locations), state Crime Statistics agencies (offences), council DA portals (development applications). Population forecasts use a Hamilton-Perry cohort model calibrated to ABS ERP.
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